 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hyosilver! The Lone Ranger! Before this exciting adventure, a word from our sponsor. General Mills, makers of Cheerios, the oat cereal that's ready to eat, Betty Crocker mixes and wheaties the breakfast of champions, present by special recording, The Lone Ranger! When the weather's bad, do you and your friends ever hang around the house wondering what to do? I'll bet it happens lots. Well, you know where you can have the most fun? In the kitchen, with a package of the new Betty Crocker brownie mix. That's right, it's easy as can be to bake up a big batch of luscious chocolatey brownies with Betty Crocker brownie mix. Everything you need is right in the package. Just add one egg if you like the chewy, fudgy kind of brownies, and two eggs if you want them soft and tender like cake. Add nuts too if you like. Either way, Betty Crocker brownies are the, gee, I can't eat them fast enough kind. Even if you've never baked before, you'll turn out scrumptious, chocolatey, perfect brownies the very first time. And what fun you and your gang will have eating brownies that you bake yourselves. Have mom get Betty Crocker brownie mix next time she shops. Then, invite your friends over for some fun! With his faithful Indian companion title, the daring and resourceful mask writer of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver! The lone ranger rides again! Come on, Silver! Let's go, people! I am Silver! Follow me! Don Abbott, a young man of 20, rode that Pecos River trail from Laredo northward with a tough-looking companion named Pedro. Ah, the night, she's very beautiful, no? Yeah. So many stars cover the sky. This does not seem room for them all. Yeah, I reckon this isn't the first time you've seen them, Pedro. You are tougher than I thought, and you're done. Yeah, there's more important things to think about than the stars, Pedro. Once again the two men rode in silence. But Pedro's remark about the stars flooded Don's mind with memories. His parents had come west because of his mother's poor health. Don was born in San Antonio, and after his father's death, his mother had taken in sewing for a living. A sweet and religious woman, she had started a Sunday school class, which she had conducted until her death. Pedro's remarks had brought to Don's mind a summer evening when he was 10 years old, just before his mother's death. He remembered vividly what had been said as they sat on the veranda. My, it's a beautiful night. Look at all those stars. Gosh, there must be millions of them. Did God put all those stars up there, Mama? Yes, son. Why? Well, Donnie, I like to think the Heavenly Father put a star up there for each of us here below. Golly, do I have one? I hope so, dear. Perhaps right now it's one of the smallest and dimmest. But I like to think we each make our stars brighter by the good deeds we perform for our fellow men. I hope that someday, Donnie, yours will be one of the brightest. Will I know my star when I see it, Mama? I think so, Donnie. Well, come, dear. It's past your bedtime. We must go in now. Don Abbott glanced upward a moment. Then with bitterness in his heart, other memories crowded out those of his mother and the stars. He remembered being taken in after his mother's death by a kind-hearted woman whose husband was hard and domineering. Don clenched his teeth as he remembered the days that followed the death of his foster mother. Hard work interspersed with frequent strappings made the few following years unbearable. At 14, he ran away. Then came six years of drifting, doing odd jobs, struggling to make his way among men who were tough and ruthless. Until disillusioned, toughened, and bitter, he turned outlaw. Pedro again broke the silence, saying... We are only a few miles from Pecos now, Don. We shall soon reach the hideout here the sooner the better. Senor Steve will meet us there with two men. Who is Steve Nash, Pedro? You haven't told me much about him. He is a gambler from the East. I met him a few months ago in Laredo. Well, let's get a move on. I'm anxious to know what this is all about. Hit him! Later, Pedro and Don grew rain in front of a cabin in the hills, outside of Pecos. Easy, Don. Well, Pedro, we've been waiting for you and your friend. Well, it's not just in your Steve. This is Don Abed, the hombre I told you about. Well, to meet you down there, meet Sid and Sluggy. Howdy. Well, sit down, and I'll tell you what I have in mind. Let's have it, Nash. You don't waste time, do you, Evan? Nope. Get to the point. Well, here's the setup. I had an uncle, my mother's brother, who owned a big spread not far from here. The cousin of mine, Fred Logan, lived with him, along with Fred's wife and little girl. My uncle died less than a year ago and left everything to Fred. With the stipulation that if Fred dies, his wife and I each get half. Go on. Fred and his wife have never seen me. They think I'm still back in St. Louis. When I came out of here six months ago, I realized how big that ranch is. Where do we come in? I'm coming to that. I took a job running the gambling room at the cafe in Pegas. I learned a lot from some of Fred's ranch hands. Now, it seems a foreman left with some of the cowhands to drive a herd of 500 longhorns to Stockton. He's getting $20 a head for each of them. $10,000. That's right. Fred Logan had other business, so he didn't go with him. But I was told he's taking the evening stage tomorrow night to Stockton, then catching the stage back, bringing the cash with him. The return on stage reaches Pegas just after dawn. So we are the whole of the stage and take the cash, no? That's part of it, Pedro. I want Fred Logan out of the way. After we make him get out of the stage, he'll get plugged in. Hey, I don't go for killing, national. That'll be my job. And for staging the whole up, you four each get $2,500 in cash. Hey, caramba. We cannot afford to say no, señor Don. We both need the dinero. Well, I reckon it's a deal. Good. I'll meet you all here tomorrow night and make further plans. The following afternoon, Tonto, Indian companion to the Lone Ranger, returned to a grove of cottonwoods on the outskirts of Pegas, where the two men had stopped to repair worn riding gear. Did you remember to bring the horseshoe nails, Tonto? Ah, me get them. And Kimusabi, me stampet café. See, Mexican fellow named Pedro, who was with gang near Laredo a few months ago. He's the man who escaped across the border when we moved in on the gang. That's right. Go back to town and keep an eye on him, Tonto. He may be here as a member of another gang. If he rides from town, let me know and we'll trail him. Me do that. Easy scout, easy fellow. Get him up, scout. That evening at the café, Pedro was engaged in a card game. At sundown, Don Abbott sat at the table near the front window, eating supper alone. Steve Nash approached and sat down. See, look at cross at the stage stop, Abbotty. See that Elmry stand to be sat at book board talking to a cow poking a little girl. That's Fred Logan, my cousin. He's getting ready to board the stage for Stuckton. Don saw a nice-looking, kindly-faced man in his 30s, standing beside the book board across the street. As he watched, Fred Logan reached up and kissed a pretty curly-headed little girl about 10. Then he turned and entered the stage station. Don and Steve watched until the book board was driven away. Logan don't know what's in store for him in the morning. Well, yeah, when they come back and join Pedro in a card game. No, I'm tired of hanging around town. I think I'll ride back to the night out and get some rest. Do what you say. Pedro and I will meet you and the others there about midnight. Right. See you later, Nash. Don rode slowly from town in the same direction the book board had taken. Darkness fell quickly, and soon he rode beneath the moon and stars. A short time later, he rounded a bend and saw the book board stopped on the trail. The driver was trying to replace a rear wheel which had come off. Don stopped beside the vehicle. He helped the driver replace the wheel. As he was about to mount, the little girl said... Hello, mister. Hello there. What's your name? My name's Gloria Logan. We took my daddy to town to catch the stage. I'm glad you came along to help Tex fix the wheel. Wasn't any trouble. Golly, look at all those stars up there. I like to look at the stars, don't you? Oh, yeah, sure. That bright one up there is daddy's, I think. What makes you think that? Because he's so good to people. Mama says she thinks we all have stars and they get brighter when we do good for people. Well, your mother said that? Uh-huh. She used to go to Sunday school in San Antonio. And that's what the lady at the Sunday school told her. Oh, yeah. Didn't your mother ever tell you about the stars, mister? Well, I think I have to be going now. Goodbye, mister. Goodbye. Thanks again, stranger. Yeah, get up there. And it's her old man, Steve Nash, who's going to kill a dawn. Easy, steady, boy. Come on, get up there. We'll continue our lone ranger adventure in just a moment. Sheriff Sam is a boy of ten. He busts right in the robbers den and gets his man because he knows. He's got gold power from Cheerios. Yes, he's got gold power. There he goes. He's feeling his Cheerios. Cheerios. Cheerios. That's Cheerios. The cereal shaped like little letter O's. And those O's stand for oats. The good grain Cheerios is made from. Every delicious spoonful of Cheerios and milk is real muscle building food. Each spoonful contains vitamins, minerals and proteins your body needs. Yes, those good things in a Cheerios breakfast do good things for your body. Healthy nerves, good red blood, strong bones and muscles. You can see that Cheerios is made to give you real gold power. So make sure you have a Cheerios breakfast every day. Then you'll hear people say, He's feeling his Cheerios. Now to continue. The words of little Gloria Logan have moved Don Abbott deeply. He thought it must have been his own mother who had instilled the little fantasy of the stars into the mind of Mrs. Logan. If such were the case, the words spoken by the young lips of little Gloria were as if his own mother were speaking them. Don hesitated a moment. Then looked upward searchingly. That bright star the one Gloria had spoken of as being her father's, seemed to stand out accusingly. The muscles in his jaws tightened as Don suddenly spurred his horse to a gallop. Get up! Come on! Get up there! It was after midnight when the Lone Ranger heard hoofbeats passing on the trail. A few minutes later, Tauto returned and drew rain in the grove. Oh, Scoundrel! Oh, Scoundrel! Well, Tauto, I expected you before this. Well, me... me wait. Watch, Mexican. Him just leave town with gambler fella. Then ride trail past grove. Yes, I heard them passing. We'll follow them and find out where they go at this late hour. Isn't it? The moon is bright, so we shouldn't have any trouble picking up their trail. All right, let's go. Scoundrel, easy fella. Come on! Later, from a stand of trees on a hilltop, the Lone Ranger and Tauto saw the lighted cabin on the slope. Close the road now. We'll go closer to that cabin, Tauto. Come on. The two men moved light shadows through the darkness until they approached the cabin. Five horses over there, Tauto. And what we do? We'll wait and see what those men are up to. So far, we have nothing against any other, except Pedro. If they plan something tonight, we may be able to catch them all red-handed. That's right. We go back to the horses. We can see them from there if they leave the cabin. Come on. The Lone Ranger and Tauto settled down to watchful waiting back among the trees. Just before dawn, the light in the cabin was extinguished. Then they heard the men mounting their horses. Yeah, man. Then leave them now. Yes. Let's see where they go. Come on, Tauto. Easy, baby. Come on. Steve and his men rode toward the main trail through the darkness. A thin layer of clouds covered the sky by that time, but light from the moon hanging low in the west still broke through. Later, the five men waited in hiding for the stage to come along. A thin flush tinged the clouds in the eastern sky, foretelling the advent of dawn. Don Abbott glanced upward at the curtain of clouds, then moved nervously in the saddle. Then, here comes a stage, Steve. It's about time. Cover your faces, draw your guns and let's go. Easy. Get it back. As the outlaws whisked from cover, the stage driver, seeing the guard wounded, pulled the horses to a stop. Pedro, cover the driver and guard. Keep your hands away from the guard. You're covered, mister. Get out. Yeah, sure. All right, drop your guns. There it is. Throw me a wallet. I reckon I have to. Now that you have it, I might as well get back into the coat. Oh, wait, mister. I'm not through with you yet. Everything is in that wallet, 10,000 in cash. What more do you want? I'm plugging you right now. Hold it, miss. Let's go. Thunder, I'll get rid of you. You're the fool. Now finish what I say. Pedro and the other two outlaws turned to fire at the mask man and Indians. Use your guns. I have my gun. You two men drop yours. The remaining two outlaws sit in slugger covered from behind by Fred Logan, drop their guns and raise their hands. Silence, Otto. We keep them covered. Mister, I don't know who you are, but in spite of that mask, I gotta thank you. Hello, mask man. Hi, Tano. Haven't seen you two since you prevented that holdup three months ago near Laredo. The mask men in India are friends, Mr. Logan. They help the law. Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'll take back my wallet. That fellow on the ground saved my life. He kept the leader from shooting at me and he got the bullet instead. We love masks these men. I know the name of this man. He's a gambler. So I'm in Laredo. His name is Steve Nash. Steve Nash? Why, he must be the cousin mentioned in my uncle's will. He's to get half my ranch if anything happens to me. That may be why he wanted to kill you. I thought it's strange he wasn't satisfied to steal my $10,000. He was to get half the ranch. We were to get that cash. Down now, but had not jumped Steve and kept him from shooting. Glad to get our hands on you, Pedro. I'll look at the wounded man now. Nice looking young fellow. He's seriously wounded. He's saved my life. I don't understand. He's cautious. Easy fellow, isn't he? Down slowly opened his eyes. He stared first at the mask man, then at Fred Logan. Finally, he spoke. You... You're a glorious father. You know my daughter. I met her on the trail last night. She told me about the stars when her mother told her... What does he mean? Gloria likes to think each person has a star of his own that it gets brighter because of good deeds. That's a nice thought. Nice little girl. Said what my mother used to say. There's no more stars now. I never had one. There'd be no star for me. Don paused and stared at the heavens. At that moment the clouds on the eastern horizon broke. Shining brightly in the faintly reflected light of the rising sun was the morning star. Look. Look. There is a star. The brightest star I ever saw. Yes, Don. I'm sure that must be your star. The brightest of them all. Thanks, mister. Mom, I... I found it. My star. He... He said so. What is he? He's unconscious. But I'm sure with proper care he'll get well. Our bandage is wound now. Quickly and expertly the Lone Ranger bandage Don's wound, then attended to Pedro and Steve on the guard. When he had finished, Fred said... Mister, I'll take the young man straight into town on the stage and see that he gets medical care. Take the two wounded outlaws with you. They're both tied. Turn over the sheriff. My Indian friend and I'll go ahead with the other two. Two colors, not wounded. Tied to horses, Kimusami. Good. The young man is also a prisoner, Mr. Logan. But I'm sure when you testify for him the court will be lenient with him. I'll always be his friend, mister. Good. We'll leave now and see you in town. Adios, everybody. Goodbye. All right. Get going, you two. Come on. Driver, who is that mask man? Mr. Logan, he's one of the finest armories in the West. Tough like when he rode in shooting and kind-hearted like when he talked to the young fella about the star. Yes, sir. There's none finer than the Lone Ranger.